The year 1933 marks a clear divide in the life and music of Kurt Weill (1900-1950). This was the year in which he fled Nazi Germany for the USA and this move brought about a stylistic shift in his outlook and music. The works on the first disc here are from his early years in Germany: the First Symphony and the Violin Concerto date from 1921 and 1925 respectively and the Second Symphony, his last purely orchestral work, was completed in 1934. Once settled in the States Weill took up studies in American popular song and stage music and soon began a highly successful career as a writer of many Broadway shows and Hollywood films. The second of these discs contains some fine examples of Weill's work on Broadway. He became an American citizen in 1943 and died of a heart attack just a few weeks after his 50th birthday. He was twice married to Lotte Lenya who, after his death, devoted a great deal of her time to promoting and performing Weill's music.